With the Prespa Agreements of 2018, the then Republic of Macedonia agreed to change its constitutional name to North Macedonia. Now the new definition must be included in citizens' documents, a process however full of delays and obstacles
The exploitation of natural resources in Bosnia and Herzegovina causes indignation among citizens and numerous environmental protection associations. Geological research, the opening of new and the reactivation of old mines threaten basic human rights and the environment
Recently a series of arrests in Azerbaijan, targeting independent media and their few journalists, has brought to mind the repression of civil society and bloggers 10-15 years ago. But has the persecution of Azerbaijan's civil society ever stopped?
Armenia and Azerbaijan issued a late-night joint statement that surprised even the most seasoned of commentators. Though it remains unclear whether this could be a long-awaited breakthrough in negotiations, the international community was united in welcoming the move
Near the Port of Belgrade, tucked away from the public eye, there is a large call center. From there, more than 100 people call citizens every day to ask them if they will vote for the Serbian Progressive Party in the upcoming elections. It is a well-organized group, and the way they work raises suspicions of vote buying and funding using "black money". Everything was witnessed first-hand by a CINS journalist who was briefly part of this group
As negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan appear to have stalled, border commissions from both sides met on 30 November. However, it remains unclear whether the meeting was nothing more than symbolic
Early political elections will be held in Serbia on December 17 for the fourth consecutive time. Since 2012, i.e. since the SNS party came to power and since Aleksandar Vučić became president, this will be the seventh time that Serbian citizens have been called to the polls
While the international community is facing the challenge of getting humanitarian aid to Gaza amid restrictions in place, Cyprus has proposed the creation of a maritime corridor to reach civilians in need. Despite the technical challenges lying in its implementation, EU leaders seem to be supportive of this plan
In recent days, Georgia once again hosted the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, an event with an economic focus. What is new this year is that for the first time an Armenian leader spoke at such a high-level event in Tbilisi, and high-level officials from all three South Caucasus countries were also on the same stage
Turkish politics has always been extremely sensitive to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military operation in Gaza have reopened debate and conflict in Turkey too
After the meeting between the two Caucasian leaders at the Granada summit on 5 October fell through, there has been no other EU-facilitated meeting. To the surprise of many, however, regional talks began in Georgia and Iran. Brussels does not give up and pushes for a meeting between Aliyev, Pashinyan and Michel
The prestigious Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival will not take place this year. The reason? The controversial decision to exclude the documentary "The Decree", which talks about a taboo topic: the consequences of the repression following the failed anti-Erdoğan coup of 2016
Last week, over 100,000 ethnic Armenians from the breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh flooded into Armenia while the de facto authorities dissolved the entity, effective at the beginning of next year. Meanwhile, the displaced face the challenges of integration into Armenia and, for some, a possible return to Azerbaijan
Following the 20 September ceasefire agreement between Baku and the de facto authorities of the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), now Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev are expected to meet for talks that will also involve France, Germany, and the European Council
Following a landmine incident on its territory, and with multiple negotiating tracks under increasing risk of collapse, Azerbaijan appears to have wrestled back control of its breakaway Karabakh region
The "Sultans of the Net", the Turkish women's national volleyball team, won the European championship at the beginning of September, confirming their leadership at world level. The victory, however, reignited divisions at home over the rights and identities of sexual minorities
The municipal elections will be held in Yerevan on 17 September, an important challenge because a third of Armenia's population lives in the capital, and then because it will be a test for the Pashinyan government, at a time when the Armenian political debate is dominated by the Karabakh issue
Despite recent diplomatic meetings Azerbaijan and Armenia are once again in a stalemate over the Lachin corridor, a 5km highway linking Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh. The blockade of this corridor by Azerbaijan is putting the inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh in difficulty
Gubad Ibadoglu, a well-known economist who has long been disliked by the Azeri government for his political aspirations, was arrested in Baku in recent days. His work focuses on “petro-capitalism”, analysing how oil and gas revenues have fuelled corruption and authoritarianism in post- Soviet states
On Thursday 20 July, the People's Assembly of the Republika Srpska adopted the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code envisaging criminalization of defamation. Calls from international and local actors to protect freedom of speech and withdraw the controversial provision that qualifies defamation as a criminal offence have gone unheeded
In September 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 emergency, a fire at the Tetovo hospital in North Macedonia led to the death of 10 patients. Now, the trial has come to a controversial conclusion
A tight series of talks and meetings attended by Nikol Pashinyan, prime minister of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, took place in various locations, from Moscow to Chişinău and even in Ankara. The goal was to seek the normalisation of relations between Yerevan and Baku
The struggle for control of information in Slovenia is a constant in the permanent "civil war" between the country's political forces. After long political clashes, the Board of Directors met for the first time last Monday
After the massacres of the recent weeks, street demonstrations continue against the government and above all the media, which according to critics have created a climate of intolerance and violence over the years
The acquittal of the authors of an investigative book on discontent within the majority party comes in a local context where the rule of law is severely tested by the interweaving of media concentration, economic interests, politics and business, family ties, and various anomalies
On Sunday, 14 May, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels for renewed talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel. Still many unresolved points but some small progress appears
No winners in the first round of the Turkish presidential elections on May 14. Outgoing president Erdoğan and his challenger Kılıçdaroğlu will go to the second round on May 28. The analysis of the vote and the results of the parliamentary elections
For the first time in over twenty years in power, Erdoğan is facing a coalition and an opponent who could give him a run for his money in the elections on Sunday 14 May. Polls put both the outgoing president and his main challenger Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the CHP, at 45%
In two days, Serbia witnessed two massacres in which 17 people died and several were injured, many of whom were minors. Unprecedented facts that have shocked the country so far. The news of the events and the behaviour of the media and politicians after the massacres
